Kiir directs Finance Ministry to restructure salary scale
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JUBA – President Salva Kiir has urged Members of Parliament to work with the Ministry of Finance and planning to restructure the salary scale of civil servants.
Kiir made the call on Monday at Freedom Hall during his inaugural address of the newly-reconstituted parliament.
The President called on parliamentarians to use their oversight role to tackle the challenges of salaries of civil servants in the country.
“I expect you to use your oversight function to tackle the challenge of irregular payment of salaries to public servants,” Kiir said. “You also need to work with the Ministry of Finance and Planning to review salary structure to ensure our public servants are paid a living wage.”
Civil servants working at government institutions across the country currently earn unsustainable wages, which they sometimes go for months without getting it. Kiir acknowledged that this phenomenon has been worsened by the persistently high prices of basic commodities in the market.
“Although South Sudanese Pound has strengthened against the United States Dollar as a result of the Bank of South Sudan partnership with our international partners, the high prices of essential commodities are hurting the public,” Kiir said.
“In the face of this challenge, we continue to be advised that prices will eventually come down as supply and demand balance out. However, these persistent high prices are affecting the purchasing power of many citizens,” the President lamented.
The president has directed the Minister of Finance and planning to pay the arrears and start paying salaries of civil servants regularly and increase salaries of civil servants by 100% as phase one and subject the salary structure to periodic review.
“In recognition of the hardships faced by public servants because of constant delay of their salaries, I directed the Ministry of Finance and Planning during my address to the nation on July 9 2021 to pay the arrears and start paying salaries regularly,” Kiir said.
Kiir also revealed that salaries of civil servants for June and July were not paid due to the breakdown of the paysheet generating machine at the Ministry of Labour.
“I call upon the Ministry of Labour to urgently repair the paysheet machine so that salaries for June and July are immediately processed,” the president urged.
